My Friend Jessica
by Red Witch
Summary: Jessica's friends learn about her little family secret.


**The disclaimer saying that I don't own any Galaxy Ranger characters has gone on a field trip somewhere. Just more musings out of my mad mind. Like when I saw Invasion again and realized Jessica's friend didn't know what happened to her mom. **

**My Friend Jessica**

"Wow! I can't believe we actually get to go to Longshot Research Labs on Earth! This is so cool!" A red haired fourteen year old girl with a Valley Girl accent chirped happily.

"Irma, Longshot's no big deal," Jessica Foxx looked at her longtime friend. "I go there with my father and his friends all the time."

"Yeah well not everyone is as **privileged** as you having connections," A brunette girl with glasses and pigtails in a red shirt and jeans rolled her eyes. "Having a dad in the Galaxy Rangers and a mom as a researcher there might be normal for you but the rest of us have to figure out the truth by ourselves."

"Not another conspiracy theory Janice," Irma rolled her eyes. "Hey Jessica can you ask your mom if she can give us some inside tips?"

"Uh no, I mean she's real busy," Jessica said quickly. "Hey did you guys hear about that pop star and her latest boyfriend? They say she's pregnant again. Can you believe that?"

"Jessica, for a long time now whenever I ask you about your mom you always seem to change the subject," Irma frowned. "Is something wrong? Are your parents getting a divorce or something?"

"NO!" Jessica said sharply. "I mean…No, nothing like that."

"Then what's going on? You've been acting really weird when it comes to your mom lately," Irma frowned.

"Lately? You're just noticing this **now?**" Janice gave her friend a look. "She's been like this for nearly two years!"

"That long?" Irma was shocked.

"If you didn't have the attention span of a gnat you would have noticed it," Janice rolled her eyes.

"I pay attention to stuff," Irma frowned.

"Yeah as long as it involves boys, fashion, music or hair care product," Janice told her. "So what is wrong Jessica?"

"It's nothing really," Jessica said. "Kind of private. Hey we're here."

Soon they were inside Longshot looking at all the lab projects there. However Irma saw something very interesting. "Janice look!" She pointed to Jessica talking to her teacher. Next to her was a very tall blonde Galaxy Ranger who led her away. "Where are they going?"

"Let's follow them," Janice whispered.

It wasn't hard for the two girls to separate themselves from the crowd and follow their friend. "What is this place?" Janice shivered. "It's kind of cold."

"It says Cryocrypt," Irma said. "I've heard about this place. They put terminally ill people in here until they get better from diseases. They also put in some criminals and stuff."

"Creepy," Janice shuddered. "But what's Jessica doing here?"

"Shh!" Irma shushed her friend. Jessica and Shane Gooseman were standing at the door. Shane had activated the security lock on the door so they went inside.

"Thanks Goose for being here with me," Jessica looked very sad.

"No problem," Shane shook his head. He saw something out of the corner of his eye. "All right you two, come out of there! I see you."

"Uh hi?" Janice gulped as the girls came out from hiding. "Uh is this part of the tour?"

"What are you doing here?" Shane barked fiercely.

"Goose it's okay, they're my friends," Jessica sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"We were going to ask you the same thing about…" Janice then noticed one of the chambers. "Jessica? Is that your **mother** in there?"

"Jessica…What? Why is your mom in there?" Irma asked. "What happened?"

Jessica let out a breath. "You remember when we all first heard about the Queen of the Crown? And how she wants to kidnap humans to make Slaver Lords? My mom…"

"Oh Jessie…" Janice felt terrible. "You mean she's…" Jessica nodded her head.

"Why didn't you **tell** us about this?" Irma asked. "We're like supposed to be your best friends!"

"It's not exactly something that you tell people," Jessica sighed. "I mean what was I supposed to say? Guess what girls? My mom got her soul stolen from an evil space queen after we got captured by pirates? Plus you know, BETA doesn't want people to panic or anything so…"

"So it's a cover up!" Janice snapped. "I knew it!"

"How could you do that to her?" Irma pointed at Shane. "How could you just stand by and force her to suffer like that? Don't you have any feelings or compassion? How could you make her not tell us about this when she's going through…"

"IRMA THAT'S ENOUGH!" Jessica said sharply. "**You're** the one who doesn't know anything!"

"What do you mean? I'm defending you!" Irma snapped.

"Goose knows a **lot **more about what I'm going through than anyone!" Jessica snapped.

"That's right…" Janice looked at Shane. "You're the Supertrooper aren't you?"

"A what?" Irma blinked.

"Don't you know **anything?**" Janice rolled her eyes. "A while back the government made a whole bunch of genetic mutants to fight aliens but something went wrong and they all went crazy. Well everyone but him."

"Tactful Janice," Jessica groaned. "Real tactful."

"So what happened to all the other mutants?" Irma blinked. Shane casually pointed to several other chambers in the Cryocrypt. "Oh…"

"Unlike Jessica's mother there's not really much of a chance of them being unfrozen," Shane said sadly.

"I'm sorry," Irma apologized. "I didn't know."

"It's all right. I'm not exactly one to broadcast my family troubles either," Shane shrugged.

"Guys, please. Do me a favor and don't tell anyone okay?" Jessica sighed. "Please? I just don't…I just don't want people to know okay?"

"Okay Jessica," Irma shrugged. "We won't."

"Let's get all of you back to the group," Shane said.

It wasn't long afterwards that the three girls were in the cafeteria at Longshot. "I still can't believe you kept like a major secret from us all this time," Irma shook her head. "Jessica we could have helped you all this time."

"I know it's just…" Jessica sighed. "I guess I wanted something to stay normal. Even if it was only this. I mean ever since Mom…Went away a lot of stuff changed. Some good things happened but Dad…He tries to put on a brave show but it really hurts him. I thought if you didn't know then maybe I could pretend. That everything was all right."

"I'm sorry Jessie," Irma put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Look it's gonna be okay. I mean I'm sure your Dad will get your mom back sooner or later right?"

"Yeah," Jessica sighed. "But it's been two years…It's worse than if she died. At least if she did I would know and…"

"It's gonna be okay," Janice said. "What I can't believe is that you know an actual Supertrooper. I thought they were all mean and vicious."

"Goose isn't like that," Jessica defended her friend. "He's really nice. He just…Has trouble showing it sometimes. You know it's kind of funny, this is one thing my brother and I can talk to him about even more than my Dad. My Dad kind of…falls to pieces sometimes when we talk about it. So we try not to mention it too often if we can avoid it."

"I guess he would understand how you feel," Janice thought aloud. "Not to mention he's really cute."

"And you talk about me obsessing with boys?" Irma startled.

"What? He is!" Janice shrugged.

"She's right, he totally is," Irma grinned.

"Oh come on! Okay Goose is cute but he's like a big brother now!" Jessica groaned. "And he's totally crushing on Ranger Niko but he pretends he's not."

"Seriously?" Irma raised an eyebrow.

"Totally," Jessica giggled. "You can see it in his eyes. But he pretends he's so macho standing there."

"Now this I gotta hear more about," Janice grinned.

Jessica laughed. The thing she feared most didn't happen. Her friends didn't pity her and their friendship didn't change. She was still just another teenage girl.

And that was all she ever wanted.


End file.
